The present invention relates generally to an indoor air quality module including an inner compartment that contains the module components and pivotable between a working position and a servicing position that allows for servicing of the components.
Indoor air can include trace amounts of contaminants, including biospecies, dust, particles, odors, carbon monoxide, ozone, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, toluene, propanol, butene, etc. Indoor air quality modules are used to purify the air by destroying contaminants. The module includes a titanium dioxide coated monolith, such as a honeycomb, and an ultraviolet light source.
Titanium dioxide operates as a photocatalyst to destroy contaminants when illuminated with ultraviolet light. Photons of the ultraviolet light are absorbed by the titanium dioxide, promoting an electron from the valence band to the conduction band, thus producing a hole in the valence band and adding an electron in the conduction band. The promoted electron reacts with oxygen, and the hole remaining in the valence band reacts with water, forming reactive hydroxyl radicals. When contaminants in the air flow through the honeycomb and are adsorbed onto the titanium dioxide coating, the hydroxyl radicals attack and oxidize the contaminants to water, carbon dioxide, and other substances. The ultraviolet light also kills the biospecies in the airflow that are irradiated.
In prior indoor air quality modules, the ultraviolet light and the honeycombs are contained in an inner compartment. An outer compartment of the module is attached to the ceiling. Both ends of the inner compartment are attached to the outer compartment by fasteners, such as screws. When the components in the inner compartment need maintenance, the fasteners are removed. The inner compartment is generally pulled downwardly to separate the inner compartment from the outer compartment. The components in the inner compartment can then be disassembled on a working surface. A drawback to this prior indoor air quality modules is that two people are required to remove the inner compartment from the outer compartment because the fasteners must be removed from both ends of the module.
Hence, there is a need for an indoor air quality module that includes an inner compartment pivotable relative to the outer compartment to facilitate servicing of the components in the inner compartment.